Sparking the Truth
by AsianFlipGurl
Summary: May was tenacious in trying to show Stu fireworks for once in his life, even on Christmas Day. May x Stu, one-sided Will x Elli x Doctor Oneshot. Secret Santa Gift for DoubleKK.


**I'm late. I know. But technically, it's still Christmas Eve over where I live. Forgive all the mistakes I may put in here. I haven't edited it much, because of the mere fact that I was so busy. I'll try to edit it some later. Especially today, since I decided to procrastinate this whole December. So I was hacking at this thing over here (Forgive the OOCness and stuff) when my mother dragged me off to the laundry and we had to run some other errands... Anyways, please enjoy, no matter how cliche this may be. And forgive my futile attempt at humor. I hope you like it, _DoubleKK_! She wanted me to give her a fluffy, humor-filled story, so here you go. And to incorporate Will somewhere in here.  
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**I got this idea when I was at a party, with balloons streamed everywhere. Stu's weird phobia IS MINE. (:  
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**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

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Telling May that I haven't watched a Fireworks Festival in my whole 8-year-old life was one of the most problematic, albeit beneficial, experiences of my life.

Nasty little buggers they were. I always hated the mere fact of fireworks bursting annoyingly in my ears, which is exactly why I've never participated in going to a festival. I mean, what _pleasure _did you have in seeing pretty colors in the air? Nothing. For all I cared, I could've splattered "pretty colors" of paints all over my bedroom walls. But of course, Elli wouldn't have liked that. I didn't see the problem, however. Firecrackers were even more hazardous than paint right?

Anyways, the point being is that I never liked any type of bursting object. I wouldn't recoil at a falling book, or even the collapsing of a bridge (not that I've heard something of the sort), but I would go screaming and shrieking at the sheer fact that there was a balloon or something related to it in the same room that I was in.

And accidentally revealing this peculiar phobia of mine to May caused a tiring series of events that usually got me in trouble and/or annoyed.

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..**At eight-years-old**..

.

"C'mon, Stu, you big doofus!"

May tugged hard on my pant leg while I held on hard to the railing of my house's stairway while Elli stood there, pulling on a light jacket. She shook her head shamefully.

"I really don't see what the problem is, Stu. I thought you would have fun going to the Fireworks Festival for once in your life," Elli stated matter-of-factly. Inspecting her eyes, I saw that infamous evil little glint her eyes showing for a split second before glazing it over with faux innocence. "Well, hurry up. I haven't got all day. The Inn has called telling me about some sort of person who washed up on the shore. Whit or Wilk, I think his name is. Quite snobbish if you ask me. He came yelling delusional things like, 'My yacht! Oh, my precious, my precious…' or something like that. Anyways, he's come up with pneumonia and needs to be taken care of immediately. So if you're planning to go, you'd better hurry up. And oh, I don't want to hear you. You were just wailing about being bored a while before." She contemplated for a moment before muttering to herself, "Will…that's his name."

I glanced tensely at May, who had an irritated look on her face. It was only a matter of moments before she'd get all riled up. I ran upstairs.

She caught me.

.

…

.

"I don't understand why I have to go to this stupid festival anyway," I grumbled, "it's just stupid fireworks."

May gaped at me and emphasized, "It's real _special_. You know, it's important, 'cause couples watch it together. It's reserved for people who _really _like each other."

I blushed beet red and was glad that it was late enough so that the fireworks could be seen. "_Sooo_? It's not like we're a couple or whatever. I don't even like you much. Pshaw. "

There was a pregnant pause before May ran off, sniffling. I was astonished. I'd never once seen May cry. She was strong, always so independent. Even when, _especially _when, her mother left, she persevered through the hard challenges of growing up without her mother. I stood there, the beach almost in view, meditating whether to let her cool off or to ask for forgiveness. But May's agitated yell for me to "get the heck over here" snapped me back to reality and, complying to her wishes, I instantaneously ran to her.

"… I don't see why I can't come here; I mean, all the years before I've been admitted in." She glared at Zack, who apparently had been recruited to take entry to the Beach.

He answered gruffly, "It's not good for young children to stay here. The adults get drunk in here, little girl, and Mayor decided that it's not a good model to them young'uns. If you wanna complain, go to Mayor. You could watch from Mother's Hill."

"Whatever." She stomped over to where I stood. "Come, Stu, we'll watch the fireworks."

I whined, "But May, you don't supposed that we can watch it from Mother's Hill, right? The…trees!…will block the view!" I added spontaneously.

She rolled her eyes. "I already was thinking of that, stupid. We're gonna watch it from the Beach, of course. I," she replied, grinning darkly, "_promise_."

_Oh_, _no_.

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..**At ten-years-old**..

.

I knew this was a bad idea at once. I should've just told her from the beginning that I was completely and irrevocably terrified of those fireworks. But rescinding May from a promise is unattainable. She kept her promises, hurting others—and probably herself—in the process. So when I heard those two simple words roll off her tongue, I felt doomed. This was a persistent process that endured for years.

As you can tell, we never got admitted into the Beach. But she simply shrugged it off as if it never happened. Each year after that May performed the same futile attempt to cross into the Beach. I, being smart, refused to accompany her.

May then tackled another effort, which left my ears ringing for days, I swear. She invited me to the Inn on a Summer day, where we were allegedly going to "play".

"Play?" My now ten-year-old self asked suspiciously that day. "Aren't we a bit too old for going on play dates?" But May all but smirked and assured me that "it'll bring back memories". I just shrugged it off carelessly and followed her to the Inn.

May ran forth and me, too lazy on this arid summer's day, ambled in unobtrusively into the shady, dark room, but being my naïve, young male self—May told me that boys matured slower than boys—I was immediately gagged and blindfolded.

May piped up from I-don't-know-where-the-_hell-_from saying, "We're gonna play a game alright Stu? You sit over there," I was shoved forth, feeling cold metal kiss my back, "and just picture what I say."

I heard her take a deep breath. She said, pressing her warm lips against my neck, "Picture the milky dark sky, spotted with gleaming white stars. You sit, waiting patiently; occasionally talking to the person next to you. The sea breeze calms you and you close your eyes. Do you see it?"

"Mhm." Once she had started talking, the hairs on the back of my neck immediately bristled, and all I could focus on was her lips close to my ear, whispering words dripping with eloquence for a ten-year-old girl. Each word she spoke was like a caress, and I sat there, soaking in the bliss, eventually closing my eyes, although I could not already see anything from the blindfold. And all I could think about was her lips. It looks like the prepubescent hormones were kicking in—

_Crash! Boom! Boom! _

My whole body vibrated against the metal behind me and my stupid self just realized that it was a drum. I mentally slapped myself. I should've gotten away when I had the chance. I stood up suddenly and my head spun with vertigo from getting up so fast. She grabbed my hands—almost possessively—and I couldn't _think_ of anything except _her_. What was this feeling?

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..**At twelve-years-old**..

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It was Summer and unbelievably, I was sick. I was high with fever, running nose, incessantly coughing, and utterly _bored_. Grandma had given me a couple of books and left me to my peace, but I _swear_, I was going to lose my sanity soon. I had been already locked in my room for a week yet my illness had not yet alleviated. I hadn't been used to be practically fenced into my room; I was always outside playing with May. Even she could not visit me and bring some part of the outside world because I was "contagious", as deemed by from Elli.

This night, they had abandoned me to go to another one of those blasted Fireworks Festivals. Not like it made much of a difference. Elli was always working and, when she was home, Grandma said she still was too young and able to catch my sickness. Grandma, of course, was always too busy to give me any attention—but seriously, what does ol' Grandma have to do in her time?

So I was there, lying on my bed, when someone suddenly knocked on the door. I sat upright, listening, but there was no familiar voice emanating from outside the doorway. And anyways, who was going to visit me, little insignificant me? And on a _big _festival day too?

Cautiously, I opened the door—and found a colossal bouquet of flowers waiting for me. It was shaped in a firework, of course. A single red one (I forget what was the name; don't blame me, I'm a _guy_) in the middle, and multicolored flowers sparking from the middle in rows. There was evidently a card stating,

_Here's your firework; hope you aren't going crazy in there.  
__P.S. If girls can receive flowers,  
BOYS can, too!_

Leave it to May to give me a lesson in chivalry. It would've been a sweet gesture—especially coming from May—but later my head was spinning again but not because of my ailment. Apparently, my neighbors have been complaining that their potted plants has gone "missing" and was miraculously found on the foot of my steps. Because of that, I was condemned another week in my horrible room.

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..**At thirteen-years-old**..

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Spring 22. Thirteen years old. I remember the day well. That was the day of the Cooking Festival, whereas I was _actually _excited to eat some food—except, you know, Karen's.

Elli was practically scrubbing at the cookie mix, obviously trying to impress that guy named Will who had washed up on the shore a few years ago. Turns out that he caught some other illness besides pneumonia and had to stay here for another two years. He had decided to stay after he got his strength back. It seemed that Elli had developed a sort-of crush on him but I had seen Doctor stealing murderous glares at Will.

Anyways, May had also appeared to be cooking up something in the kitchen. When Elli and May had left to purchase some ingredients from Karen's store, I grinned evilly and stole some of what looked like cookie mix from the kitchen counter. I found out, too late, that May had made a ghastly concoction consisting of fish for strontium, eggs for copper, cheese for calcium, vitamin tablets for magnesium, kelp, shrimp, and wasabi for sodium. And oh! She had put bananas for potassium, a _lot _of bananas. Apparently, May had learned that fireworks was made up of specific elements that could easily be found in particular foods.

If you get my drift, there was an explosion.

In the bathroom.

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..**At sixteen-years-old**..

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I don't know when my feelings for May had escalated into more than a friendship, but I was downrightly scared of it. I had started avoiding her, making up excuses when she saw me doing a chore of some sort outside. I usually escaped to Mother's Hill, wallowing in my loneliness without May. It physically hurt to be separated from her, and I didn't understand why. She was the first person I had ever felt for like this. But perhaps, it was inevitable since she was the only significant other my age. On my days on Mother's Hill, I frequently encountered Doctor, who had also been visiting Mother's Hill, conceivably the same reason as me. He nodded as if to acknowledge me, as he did every day I stayed up here, yet that day, Christmas Eve, he smiled and walked up to me.

"Don't let go of her, son. Don't make the same mistake I did." He chuckled as he spotted the bemused look plastered on my face. "Your sister, Elli. I heard that Will is about to propose to her. I wasn't surprised, but I could've had the chance to stop him when I had it." His eyes looked downcast, but he glazed it over with fake optimism. "I could never tell her that I've been in love with her ever since we met. But me, I could never be so dependent on someone—especially a _girl_, I thought at the time—and I practically forced my feelings out of my heart. But even though they say that you only fall in love once, I can't help to fall for her every time I see her.

"Although now she's being married off to Will. He's a good guy, and I know that she's liked him ever since he washed up on shore. All I want is her to be happy.

"Not saying that seeing your beloved being married off to someone other than you…but I'm saying that you should take the chance while you have it. You'll have to live with the _what if's _of your life every single day."

There was a pregnant pause before I said: "That is a whole bunch of bullshit."

Doctor looked surprised, but he returned my reply with a grim smile. I sighed.

"Take your own advice, will you? There's no saying that Elli would be married to Will. She still has the power to say no. What she felt for Will was a small crush, only infatuation. It will mist over. I've read her diary a _million_ times. She's so insecure about what to wear, how to act, in front of _you._

"And May and I…we're best friends. I've known her since I can remember. She's always been there for me, and I for her, and I know that she cares for me completely, though that independent façade does get annoying at times. I love her. No doubt about it."

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..**Christmas Day**..

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_Dear Stu,_

_Meet me at Mother's Hill at 6 PM.  
I have a big surprise for you._

_Love,  
May_

Hands stuffed in my pockets, I decided to meet May after all. I had to stop running away from my problems. As promised, May stood, waiting for me, arms tucked over each other. I hadn't examined how May changed over the years. She positively beamed as she saw me, dark locks cascading from her face. Under the moonlight, she appeared to be glowing with happiness.

"It's been forever since I've seen you." Her face held a grim scowl yet I could seen through that tenacious exterior. She was upset. "I missed you." She threw herself into my arms, and tentatively, I wrapped them around her. She shivered.

"You stupid…girl," I said lamely, "I was here all along."

"Always avoiding me, running off to the unknown. Don't you know that the journey is shorter if you take someone with you? What has happened to you, Stu?" She demanded.

_I fell in love with you._

Of course, I couldn't bring myself to say it. Instead, I muttered, "I needed some time alone to think for myself…

"How could you have helped me, May? I was busy sorting out my feelings, on top of that, Doctor had to do something—" My face contorted, as if I was sucking on something sour, but immediately softened as she spoke.

She whispered, "I heard that Doctor had finally revealed his feelings for Elli. I honestly thought that she was going to end up with Will, but it seems like she truly loved the Doctor."

I nodded, then there was an awkward silence. "But," she said lightly, "it seems like I also found someone of my own."

And then she planted a kiss on my lips, and my inexperienced self just stood frozen. Electric waves buzzed through me as I stood breathless and immobile in her arms. I didn't feel lust, love, or anything like that. Moreover, I felt comfort. I saw… I saw—

After ages, she kissed me once last time and glanced up at me expectantly.

"_Finally_, you've actually perfected showing me the fireworks."

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**Please review! (;**


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